Ultrastructural and immunohistochemical study of infiltration in microinvasive carcinoma of the uterine cervix.
Carcinoma in situ and microinvasive cancer of the cervix were compared by transmission electron microscopy to examine ultrastructural features of the locally infiltrating lesion of microinvasive cancer. Many pseudopod-like cytoplasmic protrusions of the cancer cells and abundant microfilaments parallel to the direction of the protrusion were seen. Concomitant with the disappearance of part of the basal lamina, many vesicles 70-90 nm in diameter were observed, suggesting a role for these vesicles in cancer infiltration. With the immunoperoxidase method, the distribution of fibronectin around the invasive lesion also was examined. Fibronectin is a component of extracellular matrices and presumably, in view of its action on cell adhesion, is a resistant factor against cancer cell infiltration. Fibronectin decreased in the transitional area between the cancer nest and the stroma during the stage of microinvasion.
Kudo
R
R
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Sapporo Medical College, Japan.
Sato
T
T
Mizuuchi
H
H
D008841:Actin Cytoskeleton / Q000648:ultrastructure; D002278:Carcinoma in Situ / Q000032:analysis / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D005260:Female; D005353:Fibronectins / Q000032:analysis*; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008854:Microscopy, Electron; D008870:Microtubules / Q000648:ultrastructure; D009361:Neoplasm Invasiveness; D002583:Uterine Cervical Neoplasms / Q000032:analysis / Q000648:ultrastructure*
D005353:Fibronectins